if you can wait it might pay off to get one at the swee lee sales. no doubt it isn't
really half price but it is a significant discount nonetheless
at this price range i think you should forget about brand reputations etc. go for something that feels good, and you won't regret it. if you are not bothered by brand names, you could check out timbre (standard value) or stagg (zen). personally i am sometimes more confident of picking out a gem from a small-name manufacturer
at that price range i have previously owned an ibanez gsr200 (swee lee) and an olp mm2 (davis). they were both pretty decent